Why Don't You Kiss Her?
by Ris Fallon
Summary: She's been his best friend since she came to their little corner of the world when they were younger. But now, something in his heart is telling him she could be something more. So why is he holding back, when he's three words away?


**Author's note:** I guess I've been on a bit of a Kingdom Hearts thing. A lot of my writes for it have been AU's, not just altered stories like I used to do for FMA. But I thought it was time I put in a little one shot of Kairi and Sora before the storm that brought in the Heartless. I mean, the game gives you HOURS to ponder about, so why not fill in the spaces? Well, that's what I'm doing with this songfic. The song is Why Don't You Kiss Her by Jesse McCartney (Yes, he's one of my favorite actors/singers of all time, thanks for asking.). I think it suits Sora to the 'T'...even if I've never understood that expression.

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**We're the best of friends**

**And we share our secrets**

"Sora?" Sora shook his head, looking over at his best friend with a slightly dazed look. She knew he'd been spacing off, there was no point in trying to hide it. He couldn't fathom why her face would be contorted with worry, rather than amusement as it usually was. But then, this was their last day here, wasn't it? They had agreed- her, Riku, and him- that they were setting off on that little raft at first light. Would they say good bye to their parents? Would they ever come home again?

He didn't really think so, honestly... But he hoped so. He'd always been told the ocean was a very big and dangerous place if you took it for granted. Weren't they doing that, taking the ocean's power for granted? He shook his head again and sighed.

That wasn't what he was worried about, he knew he was lying to himself.

"Sora," she said again, turning to face him completely now. Where her legs had once been swinging idly over the peer, now they were tucked under her as she gave him her complete attention. "What's wrong?"

The brunette looked up at her, swallowing hard when her blue eyes met his. Why was he acting like this?! It was just Kairi, just his best friend. They were just best friends!! His face burned when he thought of the paoupu fruit joke Riku had pulled on him the other day, and chucking him the legendary fruit said to intertwine destinies.

"So you're worried too," she said, not so much a question as a statement of fact. He was anxious, fidgety and restless- determined and excited, yet still fearful of the unknown. A typical fourteen year old boy.

She knows everything that is on my mind

"Yea, I guess," he finally admitted, shrugging as he looked down at his reflection in the surging sea water. She smiled a little, a knowing smile. He didn't know why saying that embarrassed him. He was sure even Riku was a little worried, he seemed to be quieter than usual... though Riku was usually the more somber of the trio.

But lately something's changed

"It's okay to be afraid," Kairi said comfortingly, leaning over to place a comforting hand over the back of his. But it seemed to have the opposite affect. His heart leaped and beat erratically, and all the blood seemed to be rushing to his face. A lump seemed to have formed in his throat, making him unable to do more than swallow in reply. "I'm scared too, you know. I think you'd be really stupid not to be."

Well, he thought with a silent laugh, that was Kairi. Blunt and to the point, as always. Wouldn't want it any other way.

The lump was gone, and Sora smiled weakly for her, so she wouldn't know his current anxiety had nothing to do with the waves lapping at the peer like they would be the raft this time the next day.

"Let's go get some rest, okay," she said. The sun was almost completely down now, and they still had to row back to the mainland, where their parents were probably cursing their absentmindedness. Sora nodded, starting to get to his feet so he could help her up.

"We should probably find Riku too," he said as his hand clasped hers, the hairs on the back of his neck rising as he pulled her to her feet. He couldn't help but notice Kairi's hand lingered a moment longer than necessary in his hold before sliding out, hanging by her side as she nodded in agreement.

"Hee, alright," she giggled as they started heading towards the inner part of the island- towards the cove and the array of tree houses and climbing devices that littered the view. "Where'd he go after we were talking?"

"I dunno, he just wandered," the brunette shrugged as he laced his fingers behind his head. Riku had sat with them, looking out at the slowly setting sun for a long while before trudging off. "Probably the paoupu tree," he said carelessly. They 'fought' over there a lot. Training, they called it. Practice. Tidus and Wakka joined them sometimes too, though they usually played with them on the actual beach instead. Wakka tended to complain when his Blitzball went into the salt water that seethed calmly around the landmass.

Kairi stopped walking, and Sora continued on for a few steps before realizing she wasn't with him. He followed her gaze, to where 3 other small, single-person boats were floating towards home. Selphie, Tidus, Wakka...

"Maybe he'll be mad if we bug him," she said, sounding quite timid and childish for Kairi. Sora smiled reassuringly, though he almost agreed. Some days, it was best to leave Riku alone. And they'd be spending a lot of time together from tomorrow on- even more than usual, with no way to get away and be alone for a bit. Maybe they ought to let him savor this last opportunity. So Sora nodded, letting his hands fall to his sides as they redirected their strides towards the dock again, where their little boats were also tied. Riku's was still there, bobbing along on its tether, when they arrived. They both stared at it before fussing with their own.

"We'll see him in the morning," he promised, and perhaps it was a trick of the eye, but he thought he saw her hesitate before nodding in cheerful understanding and agreement, hopping into her little boat before he gave her a helpful push against the tide to get her into open water before doing so for himself.

Kairi giggled as their boats drifted side-by-side, the two occasionally twitching the paddle to stay on course or speed up a bit. They reveled in one another's company, with nothing but water surrounding them. Grinning a little, Sora leaned over the side to grab the siding of Kairi's boat, pulling it so the sides bumped together and they were literally next to eachother. Kairi laughed, helping him hold them together. Occasionally she'd splash him, or vice versa, when things started getting really quiet and they felt it was time to mix things up a little. It was a fun ride home.

As I lie awake in my bed

Sora reflected on that evening as he lay in his room, lights dimmed and the curtains beside his bed pulled back. A content sigh left his lips, followed by a small frown as he thought about how his nervousness had nothing to do with the fact that he'd probably never be in this room again, hear his mom cooking downstairs or see the ocean from his window. Soon he'd be out on that ocean, with Riku and Kairi and the paoupu fruit that Riku had thrown to him earlier that day, that he had gone to fetch later on... after chucking it away in aggravation when he understood Riku's knowing smirk.

But there was no denying who he wanted to share it with... there was the drawing in the Secret Place to argue with anything he said.

**A voice here inside my head softly says, **

**"Why don't you kiss her? **

**Why don't you tell her? **

**Why don't you let her see the feelings that you hide, **

**Cuz she'll never know if you never show **

**The way you feel inside."**

"Oh, shut up," he muttered as the wind howled outside. It was getting cloudy out, gray swirls threatening to overwhelm them by midnight. He hoped it was just a passing rain, though living on the shore as they did tended to contradict that wish. "Kairi doesn't..."

But the fact of the matter was that he'd never asked, and Riku was so confident about it sometimes that he almost wondered if maybe the two'd had a conversation about him one day when he wasn't there. His frown deepened, trying to think of when this could have been. But he got nothing, typically. He didn't like sitting and thinking- Sora was always an act first, think later kind of guy. Riku usually thought things through more, though he tended to be just as reckless. Kairi was probably the brains of the group, when she felt like bothering.

He really should talk to her, just ask her... see what she thought. Know what she felt. That's what he wanted, more than anything, to be able to read her mind. Just to know if he was wasting his time. But what time was wasted if he didn't spend any to find out what he needed to know?

All of it, since he hadn't acted on any of the opportunities handed to him by not only Riku but fate itself. If he was going to be honest (and he had to admit, he was doing that a lot today), then he had to face the fact that he was scared witless. Scared that he'd ruin everything with just one sentence. Just one question could ruin their amazing adventure.

"Do you like me," he asked outloud to the dark, empty expanse of his room. Of course, he got no answer. Blue eyes landed on the hanging boat-shaped basket of home made toys. There was one of both Riku and Kairi, and his eyes rested on the one of the auburn haired girl. If only it could answer for her, it would make everything so, so much easier... But no, he wouldn't. Couldn't. Daren't ask. Just in case. Just in...

**Oh I'm so afraid to make that first move**

**Just a touch and we**

**Could cross the line**

**And everytime she's near**

**I wanna never let her go**

**Confess to her what my heart knows**

**Hold her close...**

Sora thought of when Kairi had placed her hand on his, a casual and friendly gesture that had sent shivers down his spine. In those few seconds, he wasn't aware of the wind on his face or the hair in his eyes, the sound of the ocean or the seagulls in the cove. He was all too conscious of the scent of her shampoo and the feel of her hand on his, the warmth of her flesh and the sudden unexplainable urge to close the remaining distance between them and kiss her lips, hug her, something or anything to prolong that contact.

Suddenly, the room seemed much too small for his spinning thoughts. They seemed ready to burst from his head, bouncing out the open window and into the night, which was not at all desirable considering what those thoughts contained.

But when he thought about it- and oh, how he was thinking about it- that paoupu fruit that weighed heavily in his pocket didn't seem like such a bad idea. He wondered, would she object? Would she be happy? Would she be afraid? Would she...

"I wonder..."

**Why don't you kiss her? **

**Why don't you tell her? **

**Why don't you let her see the feelings that you hide, **

**Cuz she'll never know if you never show**

**The way you feel inside?**

"This is so pointless," he said loudly, throwing himself back against his pillows with much more force than necessary. It made a little bounce, killing the bury-into-the-pillow effect he'd been going for.

But still, he just couldn't help but think about it, to wonder what would happen. What would they do next? What about Riku? What about their adventure?

She'd said they should go, just the 2 of us. It had seemed like a joke, but had she really been kidding? She didn't giggle till after she saw the look on Sora's face. Maybe that's what she wanted all along- the reaction. That was just like Kairi.

**What would she say**

**I wonder would she just turn away**

**Or would she promise me**

**That she's here to stay**

**It hurts me to wait**

**I keep asking myself**

"Sora? Dinner will be ready in a few!" Sora shouted back to his mother through the closed door to show that he heard, collapsing back on his bed once that business had been taken care of. He frowned a little at the gentle purr of distant thunder. Kairi wasn't the... well, biggest fan of storms. He hoped she was okay. Maybe he'd call her before dinner, just to be sure.

**Why don't you kiss her? **

**Why don't you tell her? **

**Why don't you let her see the feelings that you hide, **

**Cuz she'll never know if you never show**

**The way you feel inside?**

"The raft," he muttered, sitting up as a brilliant flash of forking lightning zig-zagged across the sky. He heard a small scream from his mother downstairs as the delicious smell of dinner wafted under his door. Seemed like quite a storm was brewing. He glanced towards the door, wondering if he should call Kairi or Riku first to see if he should be concerned. But a loud rumble of thunder told him the storm wasn't very far off, and before long it wouldn't be safe to be on the water.

With one more anxious glance towards the door, Sora grabbed his wooden sword (more out of habit than need) and threw open the window, slipping out while his mother still called his name announcing dinner was ready.

"I'm definitely grounded," he grumbled as he sprinted towards his skiff , ducking his head against the strengthening winds. He knew this much: making his way to the island was going to be a real bitch.

And how right he was.

Sora felt relief surge through him as he set his first step on solid land, ignoring the icy rain that pelted against his arms and head. He abandoned the paddle in the skiff, sword tucked to his side until he saw shapes emerging from the shadows, rising up from the sand like the living dead. He slowly raised it infront of him defensively, eyes narrowed. Kairi and Riku's boats were both here... He had to find them, before these things did.

_Kairi..._ He wouldn't leave her alone in this storm, wouldn't let these, these... **things** get to her no matter what. He struggled his way through the shadows, not bothering to try ward off so many with his mediocre fighting skills. Instead, he headed towards where Riku might be, where he and Kairi might perhaps be keeping together. Keeping safe. That island... these things wouldn't harm the legendary paoupu tree, right?

**Why don't you kiss her **

**(tell her you love her)**

**Why don't you tell her **

**(tell her you need her)**

**Why don't you let her see**

**The feelings that you hide**

**Because she'll never know**

**If you never show**

**The way you feel inside...**

You'd better stay away from my friends, he thought darkly as he sprinted towards his hopeful meeting place- a beacon of light in the darkest night of his life. Oh, if only he knew... But he'd do anything to keep her safe.


End file.
